A new day dawned.

  Hanekawa arrived at Tsunade's house early, unsurprised to find her still asleep. He opened the door, crossed the living room, and stopped in front of her bedroom. He raised his hand and knocked.

  After a moment, the door swung open.

  Tsunade stumbled out, eyes still closed as if sleepwalking. Hanekawa looked up instinctively—then his pupils widened involuntarily.

  Her pajamas had slipped off her shoulders, hanging precariously and exposing a stunning expanse of fair skin.

  "Teacher," Hanekawa said quickly, turning around. "Change your clothes. I'll start breakfast."

  "Ah," Tsunade responded groggily.

  Several seconds passed before she yawned and actually opened her eyes. Her hand flew to her neckline, pulling her nightgown back up. She glanced at Hanekawa's turned back and shrugged.

  "Forget it. He's just a kid anyway," she muttered, heading back to her room.

  She changed quickly and washed up. Not long after, they sat down at the dinner table together.

  "Where are we meeting Minato-senpai?" Hanekawa asked, handing her a pair of chopsticks.

  "Right here." Tsunade pulled out a kunai. "Minato will arrive at eight o'clock."

  Hanekawa studied the blade—it bore the Flying Thunder God seal and four characters: Sword of Ninja Love.

  "Is this the Flying Thunder God Kunai?"

  "Exactly." Tsunade explained, "Minato can instantly teleport to any location marked with the Flying Thunder God seal. Of course, there are chakra limitations."

  "That's incredibly convenient," Hanekawa said.

  "It is, but it's nearly impossible to learn." Tsunade shook her head. "Only two people in the entire Leaf Village can do it. Anyway, it's almost eight. Let's eat."

  "I'm gonna start!" Hanekawa clasped his hands together and began slurping his noodles.

  At exactly eight o'clock, a subtle spatial distortion rippled through the living room. Minato Namikaze materialized, dressed in a grey bodysuit and tactical vest, his face hidden behind an ANBU mask.

  "Lady Tsunade," he greeted warmly. "And Hanekawa—good morning."

  "Why the mask? Take it off," Tsunade said, eyeing it with clear discomfort.

  "ANBU operatives cannot remove their masks during missions," Minato replied politely. "It's protocol."

  Right. Like in that movie where he fought the time-traveling guy, Hanekawa thought. Though he ditched it eventually when he met Naruto. Guess the rules are flexible when love is involved.

  "Whatever," Tsunade said, standing. "Let's go."

  Hanekawa locked the door and followed them out of the village.

  As they traveled, Minato warned, "Loulan is located in the Land of Wind. We may encounter Hidden Sand ninjas, so stay alert. If we do, try to avoid combat."

  Hanekawa's mind immediately went to Sasori of the Red Sand. Chiyo's grandson. Strongest puppeteer in the world. Probably hasn't killed the Third Kazekage yet—or maybe he has. Hard to say what timeline we're in now.

  The environment shifted dramatically once they entered the Land of Wind. Wind howled across endless dunes, sand whipped through the air, and heat waves shimmered in the distance. Nothing but desert in every direction.

  "Put this on," Minato said, handing Hanekawa a dustproof windbreaker.

  "Thank you, Minato-senpai." Hanekawa changed into it and pulled up the hood. The difference was immediate.

  Stolen story; please report.

  "There are far worse environments in the ninja world," Tsunade said casually. "You need to learn to adapt."

  "Yes, Teacher."

  "It feels good to have a student," Minato observed with a smile.

  Tsunade paused mid-step. "You should apply to the old man to lead a team. Actually, in two years, he'll probably come to you directly."

  "Why's that?" Minato asked, slightly surprised.

  "Hanekawa's class has many talented students," Tsunade explained. "The Hokage won't miss that. You're the logical choice for a team leader—the Sannin already have students, and you don't."

  Minato understood immediately. Kakashi Hatake would be the strongest candidate besides Hanekawa. Son of the White Fang, too talented to assign to anyone else. Then probably Asuma Sarutobi—he's the Hokage's son, after all.

  "I wonder which three students the Hokage will assign," Minato mused.

  "Hanekawa won't be one of them," Tsunade said with a chuckle. "He's mine."

  "I wouldn't dream of it, Lady Tsunade," Minato replied, his voice warm as sunshine—though his mask hid his smile.

  They continued their journey. By the next morning, they finally arrived.

  "It's truly spectacular," Minato said, gazing at the massive structures in the distance. "Incredible."

  Tsunade nodded in agreement.

  Tall, slender buildings packed densely together formed a steel city—a shocking contrast to the barren desert surrounding it.

  "According to ANBU intelligence, Loulan wasn't always like this," Minato explained. "The new minister, Mukade, transformed it."

  "This Mukade must be quite powerful," Tsunade observed.

  "We have two objectives," Minato said. "First, expose Mukade's true identity to the Queen of Loulan. Second, seal the legendary Dragon Veins. We need to split up."

  "You find the Dragon Veins," Tsunade decided. "Hanekawa and I will locate the Queen."

  "Agreed." Minato handed Hanekawa a Flying Thunder God Kunai. "Here. At least you'll have an escape route if things go wrong."

  "Thank you, Minato-senpai." Hanekawa pocketed it carefully.

  "Let's move in," Minato said. "Be careful."

  "We will," Tsunade nodded.

  As they approached Loulan's gates, the architecture became increasingly alien compared to the Leaf Village's style. Minato paused at the city's edge.

  "I'll head out first," he said. "Once I locate the Dragon Veins, I'll teleport to your position."

  He jumped upward and vanished between the buildings.

  "Loulan's massive," Tsunade observed, scanning the sprawling city. "Finding one person will be difficult. Here's your task: use genjutsu to locate the Queen. But be subtle about it—no unnecessary attention."

  "Understood," Hanekawa said. He already had a theory about where to look.

  "Caution first," Tsunade reminded him.

  "Right."

  Hanekawa slipped into the city, moving carefully through the eerily empty streets. After a moment's thought, he realized why they were deserted. In the original timeline, Naruto arrived during the Queen's coronation ceremony. So Sarah should be...

  He headed toward the city center. Within minutes, he heard cheering.

  A crowd had gathered around a tower where a girl stood—Sarah, he assumed. She looked about sixteen or seventeen, with striking bright red hair.

  But where's Naruto? Hanekawa wondered.

  Suddenly, a puppet behind Sarah moved. It shoved her off balance. She fell—

  A dark shadow rushed forward and caught her mid-fall.

  Hanekawa frowned and followed.

  "Brother, have we met somewhere before?" a pleasant voice called out.

  What era is this? Who still uses this corny pickup line?

  He turned and froze.

  The girl who'd caught Sarah wore a green jonin vest, her long black hair tied into a neat ponytail. She had a delicate face, tempting red lips, and ruby-red eyes filled with confusion.

  It was Kurenai Yuhi.

  But not the six-year-old he knew. This was an adult Kurenai—a jonin.

  "We definitely have met," adult Kurenai said, frowning. "You seem very familiar."

  "Who are you?" Sarah asked nervously.

  "Your Majesty," Hanekawa said carefully, "we're from the Leaf Village. We're here to protect you."

  "You're from Konoha too?" Kurenai's eyes lit up. "Who's your team leader?"

  "Tsunade," Hanekawa replied.

  Kurenai's expression darkened immediately. "You're lying. The Hokage can't be here, and she only has one student."

  Wait. Tsunade became Hokage? Hanekawa's mind raced. And Kurenai was sent here on a mission...

  "I'm not lying," he said. "Where are your teammates?"

  "I got separated from him," Kurenai admitted. "But he's very strong, so I'm not worried."

  For some reason, she instinctively believed this strange boy.

  "Who is he?" Hanekawa already suspected the answer.

  "It's Hanekawa—the Hokage's student," Kurenai said suddenly, her eyes widening. "Oh! That's why you look so familiar! You look just like Hanekawa did as a child!"

  Great. My existence just rewrote the future, Hanekawa thought, suppressing a grimace.

  In the original timeline, it should have been Yamato, Naruto, Sai, and Sakura chasing the Centipede. Now it was adult Kurenai and... him.

  The irony wasn't lost on him.